AN ODE TO CAFE ARGANA, MARRAKECH | TRAVELS WITH KID
Yesterday, a sad day for Morocco, when Cafe Argana was bombed and its terrace overlooking the famous Djemaa El Fna square, virtually destroyed. The number of deaths is currently hovering around 14 to 16.
About 4 weeks ago, we were in Marrakech and dined in that exact spot. Spud was feeling a little homesick. Solution: some familiar spaghetti bolognese for dinner. Destination: Cafe Argana's terrace overlooking the shenanigans in the square.
Below Spud is having a pre-dinner romp in the square. You can see the Cafe Argana behind him.
Mixed feelings well up as I watch this little video today — you can hear the snake charmers in the background with Spud joining in at the end. It put a smile on my face every time. But there is something overly eerie about it now too.
This is what the cafe looks like now ...
(Image Credit: AP Images via Daily Mail where you will see several more images with some disturbing details)
This just brings up all kinds of issues for us, as avid travellers, and parents of a little one. The crazy thing is we weren't sure if we should go to that part of the world. Shortly after we bought our plane tickets, all kinds of unrest popped up in Egypt and spread to other places in the Mideast and North Africa. Family wanted to know what our Plan B was, understandably (Spud, for some reason, was pushing for Pennsylvania. I was more about Spain.). But in the end, we happily went on our merry holiday, entirely in Morocco, without any worry at all. Morocco treated us well and there was never any indication that something like this would happen. At times I felt annoyed by hustlers and overly ambitious sales people, but never did I feel frightened or scared.
We thought we would implement Plan B if "things started heating up". But that's sort of pointless, isn't it. It doesn't seem to work that way. Bombs have gone off in countless places, in London, in New York, in Mumbai etc, and did people "feel like it was going to happen". I'm guessing not. And so, I suppose, we must just press on and live our lives, not worrying about what crazy thing might happen to us, because, really, you just don't know, do you. A lesson I have learned more than once. This time particularly sad and sobering.
So, no more words really. Except, I sincerely hope they can pick up the pieces. I know how important the tourist trade is for them, financially of course but also as a way of sharing themselves with the rest of the world. And all the blessings possible to the people who just so happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time with such truly devastating results and to their loved ones.
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